Basic cushion construction



May 24, 1966 A. 0. swam-a, JR

BASIC CUSHION CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 5, 1963 INVENTORAWMW' m'fiome J'mz'Z/z, (ff:

ATTORNEYJ M M M m y 1966 A. 0. SMITH, JR 3,252,735

BASIC CUSHION CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 5, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR6 AMM" UMame Jmzi/WE ATTORNEYJ' May 24, 1966 A. 0. SMITH, JR 2 BASICCUSHION CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 5, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR May24, 1966 A. 0. SMITH, JR 3,252,735

BASIC CUSHION CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 5, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORAri/m2 ommemm'mcm ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,252,735 BASIC CUSHIONCONSTRUCTION Arthur Osborne Smith, .Ir., Richmond, Va., assignor toBenjamin T. Crump Company, Incorporated, Richmond, Van, a corporation ofVirginia Filed Dec. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 328,431 2 Claims. (Cl. 297-452)This is a continuation-in-part application of my now pending applicationentitled Ottoman, Hassock or Similar Article, Serial No. 243,238, filedDecember 10, 1962, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a basic cushion construction and moreparticularly to such a device that has two dimensions only including ahorizontal support member that could be used in combination with legs,hinges, backs or any other type of furniture construction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel cushionconstruction or the like that has a horizontal frame with support orreinforcement means adjacent the periphery of the frame for attachinglegs, hinges, backs, or other means thereto.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel cushionconstruction consisting of a horizontal frame member that may be square,rectangular, triangular or circular and which frame member is providedwith brace means fixed to the frame to reinforce it at the pointsthereof where the leg or other members are joined.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel cushionconstruction or the like having a horizontal portion for supporting anobject or a person thereon and a plurality of legs or other members forsupporting the horizontal portion with resilient means extending betweenor across the frame portion, which frame portion and resilient membersare encapsulated or embedded within plastic material so as to becompletely covered thereby to form an integral unit therewith forsupporting comfortably the weight of a person thereon or an objectthereon.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel type offurniture consisting of a horizontal peripheral tubular frame withresilient spring members extending between the frame, and horizontalbrace members fixed to the frame for reinforcing it adjacent the pointsthereof to which the vertical legs or other members are attached.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cushionconstruction for supporting a weight thereon provided with noveltriangular shaped or enlarged reinforcement portions adjacent the frameat the points thereof where the legs or other members are attached.

It is another object of the present invention to provide atwo-dimensional furniture cushion which can be used as an ottoman orhassock in combination with leg members, which further has reinforcementmeans adjacent the periphery of the frame member, whether it be circularor of other configuration to reinforce the frame to avoid any permanenttwisting, bending or distortion thereof and which frame andreinforcement members are completely encapsulated in a plastic material.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel cushionconstruction consisting of a tubular annular frame provided withtriangular brace means which serve to reinforce the annular frame means,and which frame means and reinforcement means are encapsulated in a foammaterial so that the plastic material and the other portions of thecushion form an integral unit that will comfortably support the weightof a person thereon without any distortion or weakness therein when thelegs or other members are attached to the cushion and the weight of aperson is supported thereon.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel cushionconstruction having a frame support that is made of channel members thatcan be readily con nected together to form an integral unit, and whichchannel members are provided with enlarged reinforcement means adjacentthe portions thereof to which the legs or other members are fastened,and which channel members are further provided with resilient springymeans extending across or between the channel members and the resilientmeans and channel members completely encapsulated within a foam plasticmaterial so as to provide a comfortable piece of furniture for receivingthe weight of a person thereon while permitting the cushion to have someflexibility and resiliency without causing the cushion frame to bestressed beyond its modulus of elasticity.

Various other objects and advantages of the present invention will bereadily apparent from the following detailed description when consideredin connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof andin which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of cushion being used as an ottomanpartly broken away to illustrate the frame and reinforcement members andthe resilient spring members that are encapsulated within the plasticmaterial to form a rigid yet resilient structure therewith;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a modified form of the reinforcementmeans embodied in the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a detail view of the notch means in the tubular frame memberof FIGURE 1 for attaching a resilient spring member to the frame;

FIGURE 4 is another modification of the frame and reinforcement meansembodied in the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged detailed view in plan of the reinforcement meansembodied in the invention shown,

in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a detail view of the connector member that is utilized tojoin two separate channel members of the frame together;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along lines 7-7 of FIGURE 4but with the frame member shown encapsulated in plastic material;

FIGURE 8 is an elevation of an ottoman using the basic cushionconstruction;

FIGURE 9 is an elevation of a modified ottoman using the basic cushionconstruction;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view showing a modification of theencapsulating material.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 generally designatesthe basic cushion construction of a two-dimensional structure as used inthis invention is meant to mean a structure which has its supportingsurface substantially located in one and only one place. This type offurniture is distinguished from a threedimensional structure in whichthere is another portion or member formed integral with the horizontalmember or portion of the furniture that extends vertically upwardlytherefrom. An example of such a three-dimensional type of furinturewould be a chair with either a back or a back and arms, such as chairsused in living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and the like.

The cushion 10 is provided with a tubular rectangular or square frame 11that is preferably made of one piece by forming the tubular member 11 asshown in FIGURE 1 and bringing the two free ends of the member togetherand brazing or welding them so that it forms a single continuoushorizontal frame. The tubular frame .11 is preferably solid in crosssection as shown in FIGURE 3 and is provided with vertical notches 12disposed midway between each corner 13. The corners 13 are provided witha radius so that they are rounded smoothly and there will be no sharpbends or weak points in the frame structure adjacent the corners.Resilient spring members 14 extend between the opposite sides or sidewalls 15 forming the tubular frame 11. Each spring member 14 consists ofa vertical open-end loop 16 that is disposed in a notch 12 in thetubular frame and a plurality of U-shaped, cross sections 17. TheU-shaped loops or sections 17 are disposed to face in oppositedirections as is clearly shown in FIGURE 1 and the resilient springmember 14 is made of stout wire and is of sufficient length so that theend loops 16 when disposed or mounted over the tubular frame 11 in theirnotches will not readily be dislodged therefrom. Each spring member 14crosses at right angles with another spring member 14 extending betweenthe opposite sides of the frame 11 as shown in FIGURE 1. The U-shapedloops 17 of each spring member 14 extending between the oppositelydisposed sides of the tubular frame 11 are in contact with each other soas to reinforce and strengthen the portion of the cushion farthestremoved from the tubular frame member 11.

The tubular frame 11 adjacent the corner section or portion 20 isprovided with frame reinforcement means consisting of a diagonal braceor strut 21 welded at the opposite end to the tubular frame and inspaced relationship with the corner portion 20' so as to form the base22 of a triangle with the adjacent opposite sides of the frame indicatedat 23 forming the sides of the triangle. A leg or other member supportmember 24 consisting of a plate substantially rectangular in shape,except for its outer end 25 which has the same configuration as thecorner portion 20 extends between the frame 11 and the brace member 21,and is in the same plane therewith and is welded to the corner portion20 and the brace 21 to form a rigid stnucture therewith.

Each support plate or member 24 is provided with a circular recess orcounter sink 26 therein which is offset, inclined or titled with respectto a frame plane so that the inner surface or side wall 27 of thecounter sink is longer or deeper than the outer side wall thereof. Thecircular bottom 30 of the counter sink 26 projects below the outersurface or the underside of the plate 24 and is titled or extends at anangle or inclination toward the center of the frame to provide acircular seating surface for any type of engaging members. The center 30of countersink 26 is provided with an upturned central nipple or boss 33that is internally threaded to receive therein the threaded screw member34 fixed to the engaging member.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that the frame 11 and thetriangular frame reinforcement means and the resilient spring membersmay be easily constructed and fabricated and requires a minimum amountof skill and labor and time in the manufacture thereof. After the framehas been constructed, it is inserted into a mold cavity, the surfaces ofwhich are designed to define the planar portion of the two-dimensionalcushion. The frame is positioned within a mold on spaced cores and thelike which do not form part of this invention in order to properlyposition the frame 11, braces, and plates and the spring members 14 sothat they will be completely encapsulated with a foam plastic materialwhen the mold is closed and the material is introduced into the mold tofill up the entire mold cavity. If the entire plate is encapsulated, theencapsulating material must be punctured by the screw means on theengaging member; however, the bottom of the counter 26 can be leftexposed driving the encapsulating process and the necessity ofpuncturing the foam material would be eliminated. The foam plasticmaterial may be of any suitable well known composition, but ispreferably of foam polyurethane. The mold is preferably of aconfiguration to give the square body shape 40 shown in FIGURE 1 uponwhich an object is placed or a person may comfortably seat himselfthereon. After the foam material has set or hardened, the mold is openedand the molded cushion is removed therefrom.

It will be noted that the cushion is of such a configuration that themolded body 40 completely overlaps or extends beyond the tubular frame11 and encloses the braces 21, the support plate 24 and the counter sink26. The screw members 34 that extend into nipple are of sufiicientlength so as to be readily threaded through the threaded nipple 33 andextend slightly thereabove. Preferably, the mold is also cored so thatthe undersurface or the bottom of circular wall 30 is just slightlycovered with a thin film of the plastic. This permits engaging membersto extend into recesses in body 40 in alignment with the bottom 30 andseat flush against the countersinks 26 so that said members extenddiagonally outwardly instead of having a substantially verticalarrangement.

Complete encapsulation of the frame and reinforcement means, the countersinks and the spring members provides a method of using material thatmay be economical in the cushion since the tubular frame and the otherparts may be made of iron or steel, as they will not be exposed to theatmosphere and therefore will not corrode. Thus, it is not necessary touse a more expensive material such as aluminum or other noncorrosivematerial in forming the horizontal frame structure. Also, the materialsthat are used in the cushion frame do not have to be highly machined,and any burrs or rough surfaces left from brazing and welding do nothave to be removed as it will not endanger a person coming into contactwith the encapsulated cushion nor will they cause any unpleasingappearance.

Thus, from the foregoing description, it is readily apparent that thecushion structure of the present invention provides a somewhatsimplified frame for furniture that has an annular skeletal frame withresilient spring means extending between or across the annular frame andwith other rigid reinforcement brace and plate means rigidly attached tothe periphery or corners of the frame to prevent it from being twistedor distorted upon receiving a person or a weight so that it will notexceed its modulus of elasticity or cause permanent bends anddistortions therein out of alignment with its natural free statehorizontal disposition.

The provision of the triangular shaped reinforcement means adjacent thecorners readily enables the fabrication of a cushion having the samestrength as the normal three-dimensional piece of furniture. In thethreedimensional chair there is no need for overcoming this problem ofdistortion or bending of the annular frame due to the fact that the armsand back of the chair are attached to the horizontal portion of a chairand thus reinforce it or make it an integral unit. In accordance withthe present invention, since some pieces of furniture require only ahorizontal dimension and the vertical dimension, which comprises thevertical legs that support the horizontal portion, the present inventionreadily adapts to this requirement of reinforcing by providing thetriangular reinforcement section in the same horizontal plane as theannular frame to give the necessary reinforcement while not interferingat all with the provision of the horizontal weight receiving portion.Since the cushion is constructed for maximum strength, athreedimensional piece of furniture can be made to incorporate two suchcushions mounted at substantially right angles and each actingindependently with no cross support needed between the back and seat.This arrangement will be described below.

Thus, the present invention provides a novel cushion that consistsprimarily of a frame with its reinforcement means completely hidden fromview and forming an integral unit with the plastic horizontal body andthe engaging members. The complete covering of all the metal parts asalready stated further makes the furniture pleasing to the eye, andreadily useable in any type atmosphere whether there be high humidity orother moisture conditions that cause corrosion since all of these partsare sealed off from contact with the atmosphere.

While the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG- URE 1 has beendescribed for purposes of illustration with respect to a cushion havinga rectangular or square type of annular frame, it is readily apparentthat, if desired, the frame may also be circular, a figure eightconfiguration or other conventional types.

Referring to the modification of the invention shown in FIGURE 2 this issubstantially the same as that of FIGURE 1, except that thereinforcement and support means generally designated 50 consists of atriangular plate member 51 disposed or mounted adjacent each cornersection of the tubular frame 11 with identical sleeve members 52extending along each side of the triangular plate 51 rolled over theadjacent portion 23 of the tubular frame so that the reinforcementmember is rigidly connected to the tubular frame. The plate 51 has itsbottom face 53 extending diagonally between the two adjacent portions 23forming the corner section 20 of the tubular frame with the apex of thetriangle 54 rounded so as to conform to the round configuration of thecorner. Since the sleeves 52 are rolled or bent over the frame 11 onopposite sides of the corner 20', there is no chance of linear slippageof the reinforcement plate 51 along the tubular frame.

The plate 51 is provided with a countersink or projection 55 extendingbelow the plate with the bottom 56 thereof diagonally inclined so thatan engaging member, such as a leg, affixed thereto will extend at aslight inclination beyond the outer perimeter or boundary of thehorizontal body 10 of the cushion. The countersink 55 is also providedwith the upturned threaded nipple 57 disposed centrally thereof forreceiving a screw member. The plate 51 is disposed in the same plane asthe horizontal plane of the tubular member 11.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 4 to 7,the frame generally designated as 60 consists of a plurality of U-shapedchannel members 61 in cross section, each channel member having a bottom62 and upstanding ribs 63. The channel members 61 are substantiallyL-shaped in a horizontal plane and have two identical straight legportions 64 at its opposite ends.

The channel members 61 are rigidly connected together by means of aU-shaped connector brace or strip 65 which is disposed in the U-shapedchannel of 61 as best seen in FIGURES 4 and 7. The connector member 65is spot welded to adjacent abutting ends 64 of the channel members. Theconnector or reinforcement member 65 has upstanding ribs 66 on eitherside thereof and a fiatcentral portion 67 provided with a longitudinalarcuate rib 68 for giving it additional strength. In the preferredembodiment, the channel member 60 is made up into a square with twochannel members 61 forming each side of the square. The straight endsections 64 of the channel member 61 are provided with apertures 70therein in certain channel members disposed opposite one another toreceive a member 71 therein. The member 71 comprises a flat springhaving a series of alternate U-shaped configurations 72 disposed in theframe plane with a bend 73 normal to the central portion and adjacentthe 0pposite ends thereof that extend through the apertures 70 and arethereafter bent inwardly as at 74 and about the underside of the channelmembers so that the resilient spring members 71 are attached to theframe and will not come loose therefrom.

Each channel member 61 is provided with a counter sink 75 therein thatis circular in cross section and similar to thee ountershinks alreadydescribed in connection with FIGURES 1 and 2.

The countersinks 75 extend below the bottom of the channel members, asbest shown in FIGURE 7, and have their inner end 76 extending below theouter end 77 thereof so that the bottom of the countersink or projection75 is inclined at an angle with the plane of the frame structure. Thecountersink is also provided with a threaded upstanding nipple 78centrally disposed therein to receive the screw member of any engagingmemher.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 4 is shown without theplastic foam material covering and encapsulating the frame for purposesof clarity. However, in FIGURE 7 a detail view is shown of the frameembedded and encapsulated within the plastic foam material 80 after ithas been properly molded. It will be noted that the plastic foam 80covers and encloses the entire frame so that there is nothing that canbe seen I of the frame after the molding operation.

In order to provide reinforcement means for the channel members 61adjacent the portion thereof to which the engaging members are attached,the channel members 61 are provided with an enlarged or widened flatsection generally designated 81. The enlarged section 81 generallyfollows the configuration of a triangular member and is disposedadjacent the corner 82 of the frame. However, the triangularconfiguration is somewhat muted to form an outer radius 83 and an innerradius 84 instead of the more sharp triangular plate as alreadydescribed for FIGURE 2.

With the enlarged reinforcement section 81 formed integral with theframe and in the same plane therewith, the engaging members can beaffixed to the frame and the cushion will not be distorted out of itsoriginal shape when a weight is supported thereby. That is, the framemember will not be bent or permanently twisted but the cushion willprovide two-dimensional support on which a weight or a person may beseated which will still give the resilience and springiness generallydesired for such an object to provide a comfortable seating thereon,while at the same time enabling it to maintain its original rigidity.The reinforcement means are necessary in the two-dimensional furniturebecause of the independent support capability and since them are no armsor backs associated therewith to give the necessary reinforcement, as isthe case in a three-dimensional piece of furniture such as a chairhaving arms and a back. Thus, the present invention solves the problemof providing a readily fabricated cushion structure that provides anannular skeletal horizontal frame therearound with reinforoement meansformed therein adjacent the points where the engaging members areattached, that has fiat spring members extending between opposite sidesof the frame with these parts completely encapsulated within a foamplastic material to give the cushion the necessary resiliency andspringiness without sacrificing its required strength.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 10, this issubstantially the same as that shown in FIGURES 4 to 7, except that thechannel members 61 which have enlarged apertures 104 therein adjacentthe corners permit the fabrication of a cushion with a premolded core ofecelsior or paper batting 106 disposed within the plastic foam material107. The paper batting 106 illustrated comprises three distinct andseparate laminations of batting completely encapsulated on oppositeends, sides, and top and bottom by the plastic foam material. The holes104 widely dispersed around the channel members 61, permit the plasticmaterial, before it is curved and set to penetrate around the battingcore so as to 'be dispersed all around the batting and not be blocked inone side thereof in the fabrication of it. This embodiment of theinvention has the advantage of utilizing a minimum amount of foamplastic material and substituting paper wadding or other inexpensivematerial as a filler to reduce the expense of manufacturing the cushion.

The different combinations and uses of the basic cushion constructionwill now be described.

FIGURE 1 shows the basic cushion construction being used as an ottoman,hassock, or other similar type of article. The engaging members consistof legs 32 which are preferably made of polished wood, though they mayalso be made of plastic or metal material desired and tapered from anenlarged portion 36 adjacent the upper end to a narrower portion 37adjacent the lower end, which narrower section has metal casters 38 ofan ornamental nature mounted thereon. Screw members 34 are integrallymounted on the tops of the leg 32 so that when the screws 34 arerotatably threaded into nipples 33 the top surfaces of legs 32 are fullyseated and flush with the underside of countersinks 26. Due to theangular relationship between the center 30 of countersinks 26 with theplane of frame 11, legs 32 assume the optimum angular position withrespect to said frame 11. When fully assembled, there results an ottomanof extremely sturdy construction and rigidity that can withstand greatweights and yet afford optimum comfort.

Referring to FIGURE 8, there is shown another type of ottoman. Saidottoman 90 includes a wooden annulus 91 on which is secured the same rodframe 11 shown in FIGURE 1, by bolt members 92 disposed adjacent eachother rather each corner of the annulus and threaded into the nipples 33of the countersinks 26. Thus, the horizontal portion of the hassockconsists of the annular wooden frame with the metal rod frame andreinforcement means disposed.thereon.

Instead of the legs described in the previous embodiment of theinvention, the annulus 91 is supported by vertical wooden struts, orposts 93 disposed in spaced relationship around the perimeter of theannulus. Struts 93 are fastened or secured at their upper ends to theunderside of the annulus by well-known means such as bolts, by nailing,adhesive cement and the like, and are secured at their lower ends by thelower annulus, by box-type frame 94. The wooden frame 94 issubstantially square in cross-section and is much smaller than the upperannulus 91. A fiber-board cover or enclosure member 95 extendscompletely around the hassock, extending vertically between frame 94 andannulus 91 and being fastened by well-known means to them and also tothe struts 93. A plastic covering member 96 is secured to the outer sideof the fiber-board member 95 to completely cover and hide it from viewand lower end of the plastic sheet material is tucked under frame 94 andthen rolled over the top of it and may be secured thereto by stapleshidden from view. Frame 11, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 8, in thisembodiment is encapsulated as already described with plastic film 97 tocompletely embed, cover and hide frame 11 from view. The plastic filmmaterial 97 is covered with a sheet of plastic material 98 provided withdecorative beads 99 stitched or otherwise provided herein around theborder of the seat or horizontal portion of the hassock.

Referring to FIGURE 9, there is shown another type of hassock or ottomanwhich is substantially the same as that shown in FIGURE 8, except thatthe annulus 91 is not rigidly secured to the vertical strut members 93,but instead is hingedly connected thereto by hinges 100. The hinges 100secured or disposed small wooden box member or frame 101 fastened to theupper ends of the struts 93. Instead of having a lower frame 94 as inthe embodiment of FIGURE 8, the bottom of the hassock is provided with awooden floor member 102 fastened to the lower end of the struts 93.Thus, this embodiment of the invention provides a storage chamber orcompartments 103 within the interior of the hassock in addition to theother features already described.

Inasmuch as changes may be made in the form, location and relativearrangement of the several parts without departing from the essentialcharacteristics of the invention, it will be understood that theinvention is not to be limited except by the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A basic cushion construction comprising a frame having L-shapedchannel members having straight sections adjacent their ends, saidL-shaped channel members disposed end to end with their straightsections in linear relationship to each other, U-shaped rib membersdisposed in said channel members and overlapping the ends of saidchannel members to rigidly connect said channel members together to formthe frame, said channel member further comprising an enlargedreinforcement portion between said channel members and forming cornersections for said frame, a countersink in each reinforcement portionextending below the channel member, a threaded nipple extending upwardlyinto said countersink, spring members extending between opposite sidesof the frame formed by said channel members, and a body member ofplastic foam material enveloping and encapsulating said frame, springmembers and reinforcement portions.

2. A cushion construction as claimed in claim 1, batting materialdisposed above said channel members and reinforcement portion and alsobeing encapsulated by said body member material, and said channelmembers further comprising holes to allow the foam material to fullyencapsulate said channel members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,597,860 5/1952Gerber et al 297440 2,821,243 1/ 1958 Toulmin 5351 2,838,100 6/1958Follows 297421 2,845,997 8/1958 Waite 297458 2,899,689 8/1959 Pastl297459 2,989,112 6/1961 Sonnleitner 156-213 3,009,739 11/1961 Hamilton297461 3,049,730 8/1962 Wall et al. 297-455 3,069,701 12/1962 McInerney5351 3,083,056 3/1963 Ward 297452 3,160,381 12/1964 Longbaum 248188FOREIGN PATENTS 693.712 9/1964 Canada. 614,666 1/1961 Italy.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

1. A BASIC CUSHION CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING L-SHAPEDCHANNEL MEMBERS HAVING STRAIGHT SECTIONS ADJACENT THEIR ENDS, SAIDL-SHAPED CHANNEL MEMBERS DISPOSED END TO END WITH THEIR STRAIGHTSECTIONS IN LINEAR RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER, U-SHAPED RIB MEMBERSDISPOSED IN SAID CHANNEL MEMBERS AND OVERLAPPING THE ENDS OF SAIDCHANNEL MEMBERS TO RIGIDLY CONNECT SAID CHANNEL MEMBERS TOGETHER TO FORMTHE FRAME, SAID CHANNEL MEMBER FURTHER COMPRISING AN ENLARGEDREINFORCEMENT PORTION BETWEEN SAID CHANNEL MEMBERS AND FORMING CORNERSECTIONS FOR SAID FRAME, A COUNTERSINK IN EACH REINFORCEMENT PORTIONEXTENDING BELOW THE CHANNEL MEMBER, A THREADED NIPPLE EXTENDING UPWARDLYINTO SAID COUNTERSINK, SPRING MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN OPPOSITE SIDESOF THE FRAME FORMED BY SAID CHANNEL MEMBERS, AND A BODY MEMBER OFPLASTIC FOAM MATERIAL ENVELOPING AND ENCAPSULATING SAID FRAME, SPRINGMEMBERS AND REINFORCEMENT PORTIONS.